This summer all the teens at Tamarack Farm have signed up for an apprenticeship. Each week our staff and teens will build knowledge and experience in the area of their choice. For each of the apprenticeships, we’ve laid out a 6-week arc of learning. Both teens and staff are hyped about the options.
We will learn hands on about genetics and herd dynamics of the farm animals. Including herbal organic methods of maintaining animal welfare. We will cover everything from inspecting the animals’ health and breeding to treatment.
Adventure beyond Farm and Wilderness Rd while appreciating the beauty of Vermont through close observation. We will create nature journals to document different pieces of the ecosystems we explore and investigate our role as humans in these spaces. Trips may include hiking, canoeing, rock climbing, and more. No outdoor, drawing, or science experience necessary – just your curiosity and enthusiasm for the natural world.
Rooting in the history of graffiti in the U.S.–we will explore themes of social justice and youth movements in public art. We will collaborate in creating art disruptions–big and small–throughout camp. No art experience necessary. Deviance required.
We will take a hands-on approach to learning basic function of the components of an automobile. We will address basic maintenance and repair by sections which will involve performing the actual tasks starting with changing oil and moving through maintenance of the cooling system, transmission, brakes, suspension, and ignition systems.
Each week we will learn to make music as a group by; exploring melody, harmony, rhythm, and lyrics through learning covers, creating original music and going experimental. We will culminate in decking out a van and going on tour to play our music at other camps.
Being a camp counselor is one of the coolest jobs one can do: playing games, singing songs, building trusting relationships, and mentoring younger folks. Leadership, however, is not always intuitive; it is a skill that is learned through time and experience. In this apprenticeship, we will be working on leadership development, building skills in child management and group dynamics, and experimenting with activity planning and implementation. Together we will figure out what makes a good leader, and relate these skills to our lives and to camp. Participants can choose other specific interests and will develop activities to share with the other camps at Farm & Wilderness.
Mindfulness and Activism
In this course, we will explore the connections between social justice activism and mindfulness meditation. The challenge of these times presents countless moments of stress, fatigue, anger, and grief. How can we engage with ourselves and others in ways that support healing, well-being, and the energy to show up and interact with the world around us, regardless of how messy it may be. By gaining access to the information of the body, we can use this in order to feel more resourced in the work of action and transformation. This course will include work around our varying social identities and how they inform how we show up and understand both ourselves and the world. We will also explore non-violent communication and effective practices for approaching discomfort and difficulty.
Modeled after fiction courses and MFA workshops, we will find our own voices and style through writing exercises and critique. We will focus on creating distinct narrators and exploring tone and mood. We will also closely read and critique great short story authors, finding inspiration and nerding out on dope contemporary literature. And through the process of regular writing and feedback, we can demystify the process of creative writing.
This apprenticeship will engage teens in the process of exploring gender identity by making a comic book about gender topics. We will discuss, collaborate, write, and draw towards the end of making a comic book to educate other camp folks about gender. TFers will have space to talk about and think through how gender affects the space of camp. They will organize, plan, and draw a comic book that is a cohesive collection of comics orbiting around the topic of gender.